Designing Windows
by we're-just-stardust
Summary: Modern AU Anna Smith is an assistant buyer for Ted Baker's. When new Visual Merchandiser John Bates appears, her job becomes much more interesting than she ever thought it could be. I suck at summaries, so maybe forget this and just read the first chapter :)
1. Chapter 1

My first Modern AU. Eeeeeek. Fragments of a Life will be finished soon, in the meantime I needed happiness and fluff. Hope you enjoy :) And I've only been to London once so I apologize in advance for possible American slang or bad geography, oops.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing a'tall.

"Anna! Wake up!" A pillow hit Anna smack in the face. She rolled over, burying her nose in the sheets, and groaned. "Anna, this is ridiculous."

Gwen ripped the sheets of her, leaving her shivering in the cold air coming through the window. "No, existing before seven in the morning is ridiculous." Anna stretched slowly, then got out of bed and started moving towards her closet. Just before opening the door she whipped around. "Wait, today's your first day! I'm so sorry, I meant to make you pancakes to celebrate and the alarm went off, and I think I threw it somewhere…"

Gwen smiled affectionately. "Don't worry about it. Just get ready so we aren't late."

Forty-five minutes later they were leaving the flat they shared to head towards the tube. Anna was going in for a regular day at the office, but it was Gwen's first day at the University of London.

"Are you excited?" Anna asked.

"Very. I still can't believe Dad's willing to pay for more school, especially for his girl to go into maths."

"I told you he'd modernise in his own time."

"Well, he may have made progress but he's still about twenty years behind the rest of the world."

"He may never totally catch up—just be glad he's hopped aboard your feminist platform!"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Fine. Doesn't mean I won't keep up the political arguments at Christmas dinner."

"I didn't ask you to." The doors of the tube opened and people began streaming out. "This is you. Best of luck."

"Thanks, Anna!"

Anna waved after her friend and waited for the train to move again. She'd been at the same position for a year now, an assistant buyer for Ted Baker. She collected information on trends and made preliminary decisions on what they would stock for the season, which her boss Mary Crawley finalized. It was a good fit for her; engrossing, ever-changing work that required moitoring of the new fashions but without the limelight Mary soaked up.

She was lost in thought as she navigated her stop, out onto the Victoria embankment near the West End. She made a left when got to Waterloo Bridge, walking past the enormous theater boasting The Lion King and the few tourists around Covent Garden who didn't realize it opened at four. The office was a few more blocks away, near the designer shops that had just started to pop up in the area. It would be a big day at work—their old visual merchandiser Mr. Watson, the man responsible for all of their window designs, was retiring to run his own boutique. Thank goodness, too—she was fond of the old man but it was getting harder and harder to fight him on layouts when he was insistent upon making their displays look like a fifties advert Gloria Steinem would've dissected in an attempt to explain female unhappiness. It didn't help that the head of their PR department, Charles Carson, was an ardent supporter. Anna was beginning to wonder if she'd have to let Gwen loose on the pair to make them realize she wasn't as radical as they thought she was.

When she entered, she headed towards the front desk to scan her badge but found her way blocked by a tall, broad-shouldered man speaking to their secretary, Sarah O'Brien. Poor man, he didn't know what he was getting himself into.

"Excuse me."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man moved to get out of the way of the scanner, smiling softly at her. He looked too kind to be left alone with Sarah.

Anna smiled in return. "Hello. You're a new face round here."

"Yes, actually it's my first day. I'm the new Visual Merchandiser."

"Oh, wonderful! Mr. Watson left a week earlier than he was supposed to and I was beginning to wonder if we would have a nude mannaquin display."

"That certainly would be a telling statement about our fashion philosophy."

"Quite. Ms. O'Brien, did you get Mr…" Anna trailed off.

"John Bates."

"Ah. Did you get Mr. Bates a badge?"

"He doesn't have the proper form. I can't simply hand them out willy-nilly. How am I supposed to know he's really the new employee?"

"I hardly think someone would impersonate a Visual Merchandiser for fun. If it's that much of a bother for you, I'll take him up to Mr. Crawley and you can get his badge sorted in the meantime." Sarah huffed but seemed at a loss for another excuse.

Anna smiled. "C'mon, then."

She led the way to the elevator and Mr. Bates followed. She noticed then that he had a cane—he must've had it behind him when she'd walked in. Quite the mystery, this Mr. Bates.

Once the doors shut, he turned to her with a relieved grin. "I must thank you for rescuing me. I was wondering if I'd be stuck there all day trying to find a way to sneak upstairs."

"It's no problem. You'll soon learn to work around Ms. O'Brien whenever possible."

"I'll keep that in mind… I never got your name."

"It's Anna. Anna Smith. I'm an assistant buyer."

"So we'll be seeing a bit of each other, then?"

"I do believe so." He winked at her before exiting first, heading straight for Mr. Crawley's office. He must've been here before, then.

For the first time, Anna was not disappointed that it was a job requirement to meet with the Visual Merchandiser every other week to brief him on trends.

Reviews are to me what chocolate is to everyone. Please leave some thoughts with me.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope you all enjoy! Cross your fingers that college apps will suddenly become less painful, so the next chapter can come sooner :)

**Disclaimer: **If any of this were mine, many many many things would be different.

Anna headed for the small office she occupied opposite Mary's palacial one.

"You're late this morning."

"God, Mary! Don't do that." In her chair lounged the one and only Mary Crawley, observing her manicure. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Well, I just thought I'd come to you."

"Sorry, I got hung up at the front desk trying to save the new Visual Manager from Miss O'Brien."

"Oh, I passed him on my way up."

"And you left him there?"

"It's an initiation of sorts. We all have to learn to deal with the she-monster if we want to get to the offices."

"Still." Anna smiled at her friend. "What'd you think."

"He looks like the exact opposite of what I asked Papa to hire. He's basically Mr. Watson from twenty years ago."

Anna frowned. "I thought that he seemed nice."

"Yes, and vanilla ice cream is nice. But it has no place in fashion."

"Well I hardly think it's fair that you haven't even spoken to him yet and you're comparing him to ice cream. At least give him one meeting before you make him into anymore desserts."

"Fine, but only for your sake." Mary raised her eyebrows knowingly, fully aware of Anna's soft spot for underdogs. "Anyway, we'll need the decisions for the fall season finalized by tonight, so we can review at lunch and see how everything's going."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I thought we clarified I'm still very much a Miss."

"It just doesn't have the same ring to it."

"Anna, do remember I'm your boss."

"Yes, miss." The two laughed as Mary headed out of the room.

An impromptu meeting was called that afternoon, Mr. Bates knew for his grand debut. He could feel his palms start to sweat as he followed Robert into the meeting hall. He needed people to like him here, or at least not mind being around him. He needed to get this right.

Most everyone was already there. Mr. Bates found himself heaving a sigh of relief when he spotted long blonde hair towards the middle of the room. At least one encouraging face would be present.

"Everyone, may I have your attention." Robert Crawley was a softer figure now than when he and Bates were close friends, but his voice still commanded a room. "This is Mr. Watson's replacement, Mr. John Bates. I've known him quite a long time now, and I've seen just how good is work is. So be kind."

Mr. Bates knew Robert was pulling his leg a bit, kidding with everyone in the room. Still, it made him rather nervous to hear his new boss tell his new colleagues to be kind to him. What made it worse was that one man towards the end of the table was scowling in what was undeniably his direction. He had a feeling that man wasn't one to give kindnesses, even for Robert Crawley.

The rest of the meeting was a series of updates, partially for his benefit but also in the vein of the usual company meetings. Bates watched everyone as best he could without staring. The man at the end continued scowling. Robert's daughter Mary was poured into a leather dress and looked every inch Anna Wintour ready to take him out at the slightest misstep. He could see already that she was a force to be reckoned with in the business. Anna was making notes and helping the meeting along, still with a small smile playing on her lips. Every once and a while she'd glance and him and grin. Thank God for her.

The meeting ended with little fanfare and he made for the door, only to be caught next to Anna.

"I didn't know you were friends with Mr. Crawley."

He quirked an eyebrow. "You didn't ask."

"Fair point," she laughed.

"The products for this season are finalized today, right? Maybe we could meet tomorrow so I could start organizing the next display."

"That would be good. Just send me an email." She smiled at him one last time and then walked away, her kitten heels clicking quickly against the marble.

Mr. Bates had a friend.


End file.
